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Security chiefs worry about police state

Chief security officers (CSOs) and senior security executives are worried that the United States could be on its way to becoming a police state, according to a poll released Monday by CSO magazine.

When considering the impacts of Patriot Acts I and II, nearly a third of respondents (31 percent) say the United States is in jeopardy of becoming a police state. Thirty-six percent (36 percent) do not believe the Bush administration's goal to change Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq will ultimately improve national security at home. And 41 percent of CSOs do not believe the terror-threat information provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is timely and accurate.

"I'm sure CSOs can identify with the [U.S.] government's daunting task of determining how much security is enough versus too much, and how to balance a nation's security needs with the privacy of its citizens," says Lew McCreary, editor in chief of CSO magazine.

"But they are citizens as well as security experts. Their responses tell us that the federal government still has some adjustments to make if it wants to deliver security measures that will best serve the national interest."

The survey also revealed that 33 percent of respondents report the U.S. government supplies them with security-related warnings that are not available to the general public. Those who report receiving special warnings represent a number of different sectors, including federal government (23 percent), state or local government (9 percent), health care (9 percent) and finance and banking (8 percent).

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"It's not surprising to see that many of those receiving special threat information from the government are themselves in government. What is surprising is that health and financial services companies are approximately as well-informed as state and local governments," Mr. McCreary says.

Poll results reveal that a growing number of CSOs are monitoring cybercrime attempts (92 percent vs. 78 percent in December), monitoring crimes (56 percent vs. 52 percent in December) and reporting crimes (59 percent up from 56 percent in December). Only 24 percent of the respondents have insurance covering losses from cybercrimes, up slightly from 22 percent in December.

But despite increased levels of reporting, only a small number of CSOs (14 percent) are quantifying the financial cost of cybercrime, with 70 percent reporting no activity in this area. Those who calculate such costs say the top factors included in their calculations are the actual costs of fixing the vulnerability and restoring operational capability, plus estimates of lost productivity.

CSO magazine conducted the online survey April 17-30, 2003 among 559 chief security officers and other security executives who subscribe to CSO magazine. Results have a 4 percent margin of error.